CAN COMMUNICATION CHANGE LIVES? MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS OF RADIO, SMS AND ROBOCALLS FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN PAKISTAN’S TRIBAL BELT

Abstract

Patriarchal institutions in Pakistan’s Newly Merged Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) continue to constrain women’s land and inheritance rights, weakening social cohesion and prospects for peace. This study tests whether behavior change communication (BCC) can shift norms and practices around women’s land inclusion within an ongoing land-registration reform. We conducted a mixed-methods field study across seven subdivisions, combining household surveys (n = 764; 69% men, 31% women) at baseline (September 2023) and mid-term (November 2024) with 15 key-informant interviews (revenue officials, district administrators, ombudsperson staff, and subject experts). Instruments were translated and piloted for cultural fit. The BCC package comprised a Pashto radio magazine (13 episodes), 36 radio PSAs (1,370 spots), 1.8 million SMS, and 450,000 robocalls.

Broadcast and phone-push channels contributed marginally to awareness (radio 3%; robocalls 2%; SMS 1%). Social media predominated, followed by face-to-face engagement, yet a pronounced digital gender gap constrained women’s reach. Structural inequalities persisted: 58% of women reported no or limited schooling; 97% of households had no female landowner; women’s awareness of land investment (43% vs 75% of men) and digitized registration (37% vs 85%) lagged markedly. Disputes centered on ownership (37%), boundaries (36%), and possession (16%). Trust deficits were acute—41% overall, and 70% of women, feared state expropriation. While informal justice (jirga) remained dominant (94%), recourse to formal mechanisms rose (courts 49%; deputy commissioners 37%).Nonetheless, from baseline to mid-term, women receiving legal shares increased (9%→14%), consultation in land matters rose (26%→38%), and female-to-female transfers became more common. Policy implications are clear: pivot from broadcast and generic phone-push to community-led engagement and micro-targeted social media that address male gatekeeping; pair BCC with institutional reforms (female front-line staff, women’s facilitation desks, representation in ADR/DRCs); mitigate expropriation fears via transparent cadastre milestones, grievance redress, and feedback loops; and fund sustained norm-change measurement. Integrating BCC with land-governance reform can strengthen women’s property rights and yield peace-building dividends.

Acknowledgment: The author gratefully acknowledges the Board of Revenue, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and USAID Pakistan for their joint implementation of the Land Registration Project through DAI Pakistan. Their collaboration, technical support, and commitment to improving land governance and transparency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provided the foundation for this research. The author also recognizes the efforts of the project teams whose data, insights, and field expertise were invaluable to the completion of this study.